Getting to Mars before 2020 is science fiction to Clarke

We’re lucky to get to Mars in 2020, said renowned science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, lamenting the progress the world has made in space exploration. Clarke, who spoke by telephone from his home in Sri Lanka, was among the participants in an event Monday commemorating the 40th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s speech at Rice University, where he set forth his goal of landing on the moon.